This is the baffling moment a masked thief steals a live GBP 300 lobster from a water tank in a seafood restaurant.

The bizarre theft from the Bien Dong restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam, was caught on a security CCTV camera as the crook made off with the huge Australian lobster.

The footage shows how he entered the restaurant on 3rd October wearing a T-shirt and shorts before strapping on a crash helmet and checking nervously to see if the coast was clear.

After dunking his hand into the tank a few times the crook, who was wearing a face mask, hauls out the lobster using a strap tied around its middle.

He then turns on his heel and simply walks out as the footage ends.

The restaurant shared the footage online, hoping to identify the crook, suggesting he had robbed the restaurant multiple times.

They claimed that the stolen lobster was valued at about VND 9 million (GBP 300) and weighed a hefty 3.5 kilogrammes (7.72 lbs).

The theft was reported to Dich Vong Hau ward police, according to local media.

No arrests had been reported at the time of writing and the fate of the lobster is unknown.

The Australian rock lobster, or panulirus cygnus, is one of the most prized seafood treats in the world. The largest specimen ever caught reportedly weighed in at 5.5 kilogrammes (12 lbs).